Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor

Rhode Island & Massachusetts

Blackstone River Valley, which spans Massachusetts and Rhode Island, is the birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution, but the area declined when the textile industry left New England. The area found new life when the John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor was created in 1986. The Preserve America communities along the valley, 24 in all, worked together to preserve and re-create the area, not only for their own enjoyment, but also for that of heritage tourists. A National Park Service Preserve America grant in 2006 supported a sustainable heritage tourism program and, since then, the Rhode Island State Historic Preservation Office has received three more Preserve America grants that total $310,434.